


Odd Request At A Piano Bar

by PurpleD54



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 08:27:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12477440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleD54/pseuds/PurpleD54
Summary: An odd request at a piano bar.





	Odd Request At A Piano Bar

            He smiled when someone dropped a bill in the fancy tip jar on his piano. His hands,  graceful on the keys, could ignore the interruption, knew the notes of the jazz standards better than his mind did. His mind was on the early-20ish girl at a table a short distance away. It was curiosity rather than attraction.  There was an empty glass on the table but she had shaken her head each time the waiter approached. She watched the bar area, staring straight ahead but her eyes didn't follow any of the patrons. She had held that position for the last hour. She looked familiar but he couldn't place her. As his hands completed a gorgeous complicated run on the piano, a tear slid down her cheek.

            He nodded to the bartender when his song was complete and the sounds of music on the PA system played over the crowd without any break. He picked up his untouched drink from the piano, the ice cubes almost melted, and ghosted over to her table and sat down. She startled as if coming out of a trance.

            He set the glass down and pushed the drink over to her. "I think you need this more than I do." Her hand jerked to her stomach in a reflex movement and then back to her side.

            "I can't drink that, sorry," she murmured.

            "Don't worry, its ginger ale. A bit watery but still cold." He twirled the straw to clink the cubes.

            "I was hoping I could get some sassafras tea," she said.

             "Sassafras tea? Why?" he asked his voice charged and brusque.

             "You have something against tea? My grandmother always swore by it. She said it solved all her problems," her reply was soft ignoring his harsh question, continuing with a distant look, as if she was watching it all happen in her mind. "She gave it to me and my friends when we were little and it tasted like happy little flowers. I was just wishing for some. Maybe I'm a bit homesick."

            "You can always call her," he said with less gruff.

            "No," she said with sad eyes, "She died 8 months ago."

            "Did she die of cancer?" he asked.

            "No, she had a heart attack when she was alone in the house. I wasn't there. I was at class. One of the last ones before graduation. I wish she could have seen me walk up the aisle. I know she would have been so proud." She paused. "I was all she had. Grandpa died before I was born. My mother died having me and we never knew my father."

            "I'm sorry for your loss," he intoned with a gentle hum. She said nothing but dabbed at her eyes with the napkin. He turned away to address the waiter as he came to the table.

            "Danny, get us a number 2, a number 7, and a couple of number 16s, and add some fruit, please." The waiter made notes on a pad and scurried off. The girl's face changed as if taking off the happy mask, embarrassment gurgling up in its place.

            "Oh no, you can't...I can't afford that. No please..." she stopped talking as he held his hand up.

            " It's ok. I know the owner and he owes me a favor. Relax."

            "Why are you doing this?"

            "Anyone who cries during my piano playing, gets a free meal." He smiled. She snorted then clapped her hand over her mouth as her face turned redder. She took a sip of the ginger ale to help herself calm down. He noticed that she was shaking. Without the happy dream state she had been in, she seemed about to fall apart.

            "What's wrong?" he asked.

            She hesitated as if unsure whether to continue, "My life is a carnival of trouble right now. Not something you would be interested in."

            "Why don't you let me be the judge of that. Why are you here?"

            "It's a long story. I'm looking for Phil Coulson. I thought he worked here but the bartender won't tell me anything. I need to get a message to him. Do you know him?"

            As Danny the waiter approached their table with a tray of food he stood up and gave new instructions and the waiter scurried off again with the tray.

            "Come with me," he said taking her by the elbow and helping her rise. She grabbed the backpack in the chair next to her and hugged it to her chest.

            "Wait, where are we going? Who are you?"

            "I am Phil Coulson and we are going somewhere a bit more private." He guided her through the kitchen doors and flicked his chin at another man who joined them following close behind.

            "This is my husband, Clint Barton. He is one of the bartenders and kind of protective of me. I thought he should hear this also." She nodded at him but kept her distance. They moved down a long hallway and entered an office where their food tray was already laid out on a side table and he showed her to a comfortable chair and presented her with a cup of tea. Gingerly she set the backpack down on the rug next to her chair and accepted the cup. Her hands shook as she tasted the tea.

            "This is it. Thank you so much." She set the cup back down and melted into the chair, a serious slump that spoke of world ending trouble. She looked even more juvenile and helpless.

            "Ok, talk to me. What is your name?"

            She gathered herself and sat up straight again trying to look adult but Phil could see that she was still trembling.

            "My name is Julia Lafferty." Phil's surprise at her name had her nodding, "Yes.  Yesterday, I had a 2-carat diamond ring, a fiance who loved me, and a lot of happy dreams. Or so I thought. When my grandmother died, I had the choice of keeping or selling her house. My fiance Matt convinced me to sell the house and move in with him by giving me the ring. I thought I had everything. I kept a few pieces of furniture and let the rest go with the house. It took 6 months to sell the house. What dear Matt didn't know was that I would not get the house money. I didn't know either. It went into my trust fund. I get small amounts at a time. We found out yesterday. And then I told him I was pregnant. That's when I found out that he only wanted my money. He gave me 15 minutes to pack a suitcase and get out and then he started smashing some of the furniture pieces I had brought with me and said he would burn all the clothes I couldn't fit into the suitcase." She paused and took a drink of the tea.

            "He also took the ring back." She paused again looking at her swollen bruised hand then continued, "I don't think it has all sunk in yet. Each time I got money from my trust Matt made me give him a check to put into his account. My name wasn't on it. He said he was working on making it a joint account. He gave me small amounts of cash when I asked for it and I trusted him. I won't get another check for a week yet. The direct deposit comes once a month. So right now I have less than twenty dollars. My suitcase is in a locker at the bus station. That's where I was last night. I haven't slept. I was too afraid. I didn't know where to go. I was hoping to find Phil Coulson...um, you, you're the one who bought my grandmother's house, to see if I could rent a room from you." Tears were falling down her cheeks but she fought to stay calm. "I can pay you in a week."

            Phil and Clint looked at each other. Phil raised an eyebrow and then Clint nodded, chuckled and said to Phil,

            "You can't blame me this time, Phil." He looked at Julia and explained,

            "Phil accuses me of bringing home strays. We have 2 dogs and 3 cats. Of course you will come home with us. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you before. But for now, please eat something." He handed her a small plate with apple slices from the tray. Julia took the plate and then hesitated.

            " I'm sorry. I don't want to be a point of controversy between you."

            Phil hurried to reassure her, "Julia, don't worry. We might sprain a few feelings every now and then but there is no controversy. We would love to have you in our house for as long as you like."

            "Just till I get on my feet and find a job. I am not helpless even if I look like it."

            "What kind of job are you looking for? What can you do?" Phil asked.

            Julia replied, "Matt never let me look for work. I didn't even leave the house much. But I have a shiny new degree in business management."

            "Ha," Clint said, "You're hired. It means we could actually take a vacation when you get up to speed."

            "I believe that's my line," Phil huffed at him and then said to Julia, "and no, we are not going to throw you into the deep end, but yes, you are hired. We'll figure it out."

            Julia pinched the bridge of her nose, overwhelmed. There was still a lot to do but things were looking up. Tension left her and she started to relax.

            "I am beyond grateful, you have no idea. Thank you for the rescue."

            "Here," Phil said, handing her a piece of paper and a pen, "Write down Matt's full name and address. We will need to have him sign some documents."

            Julia raised her eyebrows but was reassured by the calm look on Phil's face and wrote down the requested information and handed it back.

            "I hate to bring this up but what about the baby?" Phil asked.

            "I thought about it all last night sitting at the bus station. I want to keep the baby. It's the one good thing Matt's done for me. There are a lot of single mothers. I can be one too. I just don't want Matt to have any part of it."

            "I thought you wanted something different when you asked for sassafras tea." Phil looked thoughtful.

            "What do you mean?" Julia asked.

            "Sassafras tea is made from the bark on the roots of the sassafras tree. It used to be used for flavoring root beer and various foods and candies. Then the FDA discovered that it's a serious carcinogen and causes birth defects and death of the fetus in pregnant women. It has been banned from use in the USA for years."

            Julia gasped and almost dropped the cup of tea.

            "Then what is this?"

            "This is chamomile tea. When you were describing the tea you missed and said it was like happy little flowers, that gave me the clue. Sassafras tastes like root beer of course and nothing like flowers."

            "I can see why you were concerned." Julia mused. "I wonder if that's what happened to Grandpa. He was a difficult man according to Grandma. She always said she gave him sassafras tea and all her problems went away. She had a big garden out back and made all her own teas and grew her own herbs. There were always clumps of things drying out on the porch. But I'm not going to dig into that."

            "Well then, it's all settled." Phil said. "You'll come home with us as soon as we close for the night. We can swing by the bus station and pick up your suitcase. I've been curious about a lot of the things in the house. Maybe you can give us some history of the place."

            "I'd love to." Julia said, weak with relief. "And I think this needs to go back home." She picked up the backpack and opened it pulling out a towel wrapped object. She unwrapped it revealing a beautiful hand carved cuckoo clock.

            "This has been in the house since it was built 7 generations ago, about 160 years. I couldn't bear to leave it behind. I was worried about it. I hid it from Matt when he started breaking my other things yesterday. I think you should have it."

            Phil took it with reverent hands looking it over with a practiced eye.

            "It's marvelous and I know right where it belongs. There is a spot in the kitchen that is just begging for something like this."

            "Yes," agreed Julia, "It was in the kitchen. I'm glad it can go home. I know you will take good care of it."

            Clint laughed. "I think we are getting much more than just a cuckoo clock." He held out his hand for the paper with Matt's name and address. When Phil handed it to him he continued, "I'll get Tasha and we'll start on this right away. It's  going to be so much fun." He squeezed Julia's shoulder on the way out.

            Phil shook his head, "That's why I have a bail bondsman on speed dial. Come on, Julia. Let's eat. I'm starved."

**Author's Note:**

> My daughter and I were doing a writing exercise. My thoughts automatically turned to C/C because I love this ship. We had to include certain words in it. This was my version. This is my first published story. It is a stand alone. Hope you enjoy.


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